Kino Bay, Mexico Dictionary Project

Following the lead of Rotary International encouraging our Clubs to participate in providing dictionaries to Third Graders in the United States, our Phoenix East Club decided to extend this to the International Level.

Dating from the 2006-2007 year, our club has provided Spanish Dictionaries to the third grade students at the Lazaro Cardenas Elementary School in the small fishing village of Bahia Kino, Sonora Mexico. We have provided dictionaries to 90 + students each year in the small fishing village of Bahia Kino for the past five years. Because these students do not have much exposure to English, they are presented the Diccionario Larousse del Espanol Moderno. In addition, we present the same dictionary to the teachers at the school who have not received one.

Approximately 18 Rotarians and spouses have participated in the presentation of these dictionaries at the school during the early days in November. We expanded this project to include a work project on Saturday to paint classrooms which needed to be improved.

Our Club Members would arrive in Hermosillo, Sonora and have fellowship with the Club Pitic in Hermosillo on Thursday. Then on Friday we would go to Bahia Kino and present the dictionaries. On Saturday we painted classrooms as needed. In addition, we enjoyed international friendship with Rotary Pitic, with the community and students of Bahia Kino, as well as fellowship with our participants in this project in our community of Bahia Kino.

For several years, the Consul General from the US Consulate in Hermosillo, John Bridenstine and other officials from the consulate have joined us in these presentations.